1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of recessed lighting luminaires and in particular to recessed lighting luminaires which have light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of illumination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the development of semiconductor lighting devices, LED lighting sources including LED chips are in great demand in lighting luminaires used in both consumer and industrial markets. One problem with the existing LED lighting luminaires in the market and in particular with recessed lighting luminaires is that the LED lighting sources generate considerable heat. Excess heat can result in failure of the operating components of the lighting luminaires. Therefore it is necessary to incorporate a heat dissipation apparatus into the LED lighting source of each luminaire in order to achieve a reasonable usable life for the fixture.
Another problem with prior art LED lighting luminaires including the recessed lighting luminaires is that all of the components are integrated into the luminaire so if one component goes bad, the failed component can't be replaced and it is necessary to replace the entire recessed lighting luminaire. Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved recessed lighting luminaire which contains replaceable operating components so that if one component fails, only the failed component needs to be replaced and the entire lighting fixture does not need to be discarded.
Particularly, in the current market for recessed lighting luminaires having the LED lighting sources, the existing heat dissipation apparatus is manufactured as a single piece. Therefore the prior art luminaires have less efficient heat dissipation which results in reduced life of the luminaires. In addition, in prior art luminaires LED chips are permanently affixed to the apparatus. The result is that the entire apparatus must be replaced if the LED chips malfunction or otherwise fail in some manner.
Therefore there is a significant need for the recessed lighting luminaires which have an improved structure including an improved heat dissipation apparatus.